Means for locking drop-doors of dump-cars.



I R. G. TAYLOR. nuns ran LOOKIEG DROP nooRs or 1mm mas.

LPPLIOATII')! FILED NOV. 20, 1908. V

Patented Apr. 19, 1910.

a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ha? I R. G. TAYLOR.

MEANS FOR. LOCKING DROP DOORS 0F DUMP CARS.

APPLICATION FILED nev. 20, 1908.

Patented Apr. 19, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 R. G. TAYLOR.

MEANS FOR LOOKING DROP DOORS 0F DUMP CARS.

nrmcnlon rum now. 2:, 125B.

PatentedApr. 19,1910.

3 SHEETS-EH11!!! 3.

* 1!" f j Q; UNITED sTA rEs i- Enr OFFICE.

RAZPH G. TAYLOR. OF DAVENPORT, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO BETTENDORF AXLE COMPANY, I OF DAVENPORT, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

MEANS ron LOCKING nnor-noons or DUMP-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application and Novembcr 20, 1908. Serial No. 463,108.

To all whom it may concern:

. useful Improvements in Means for Locking Drop-Doors of Dump-Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

sill, an

as, A

My inventionrelates to means for locking the doors of fiat or flush bottomed dumpears, and its object is to provide a simple and effective means for this purpose, which relieves the chains, or other means employed to raise or lower the doors, from the weight of the latter and the load carried thereby and transfers it, when the doors are closed, to the needle-beams through the medium of lock-bars which latter do not operate to lock said doors until they are closed, and which will not voluntarily unlock said doors until the winding shaft is manually manipulated. This I accomplish by the means hereinafter fully described and as particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of a dump-car having my improvements ap lied thereto. Fig. 2 is ,a side elevation of a ragmentary partof the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 4 is a plan view of my improved locking device and spiral drum separate from the car, drawn to a larger scale. Figs. 5 and 6 are similar side views of the same. sliowin the parts thereof in antipodal positions. 7 and 8 are perspective views of modifications of my invention.

In the drawings A represents the body of a gondola shaped dump-car, comprising, preferably, a continuous single I-beam center-sill B; I-beam cross-bars or needle-beams, C that ass through the web of said centerd suitable posts a secured to their ends, to which latter the sheet metal sidewalls 6 of the body are secured. A longitudinal central floor-plate a is secured to the upper flange of the center-sill, and at suitable points between the needle-beams, the longitudinal edges of said flocr-plate overhang bracketsor braces d, d, the upper ends of which, adjacent to the said floor-plate, are provided with knuckles for the hinges of the drop-doors D of the car. The width of doors D correspond substantially to the distance between the needle beams C under the igs.

langes of which latter, the side edges bear upward when the door is closed. The length of said doors slightly exceeds the dis- Patented -kpr. 19, 1910.

tance between the longitudinal side edges of the floor-plate and the side walls, and their hinged edges are adapted to close under the said edges of the floor-plate, and the lower horizontal flanged edge of the inwardly inclined lower portion of body of the car. y t i The ends of the needle-beams, between the the sidewalls of the vertical plane of the side-walls of the car i and the adjacentparallel edge of the doors,

are provided with suitable bearin s 2 for a longitudinal winding shaft E. This shaft may extend to and through the end sill (not shown) of the car if desired, or one end of it may be extended through one of its bearings 2 in the needle-beam, and have loosely mounted thereon a lever 3, or rather, a

socket for a removable handle, said socket near its fulcrunial boss being provided with a pawl 4, that is adapted to engage a ratchet 5 securely fastened to shaft E.

The doors D are, referably, only placed between those needleeams situated between the body-bolsters not shown). said body-bolsters and the ends of the car the floor is usually made solid. In front of the outer edge of each of the doors shaft E is provided with drums 6, 6, that. are provided with spiral flanges and are adapted to wind or unwind chains'i', 7, thereon for lifting or lowering said doors. Chains 7 are secured atone end to said drums in any suitable manner, and the opposite end of each is secured to the outer end of an arm or clevis 8, each of which consists of a. bar of cast, forged, or pressed metal, preferably, steel, and'either solid or hollow. I prefer to make the body of these clevises inverted verse. At a point, preferably, near its bi- Between furcated end I connect the vertical flanges of this channel shaped clevis with a transverse vertical web or partition 12, and I extend through this web, mediate and parallel with 5 the sides of the clevis an I-bolt 13, that is secured in place, with its head toward the extensions 9, by suitable nuts 14', 14'. The.

lower end of the chain 7 is secured in the the chains o the transverse loek-bar 14, which latter extends through the bores othe bosses 10 of said clevises, transversely through elon ated openings 15 in the hangers 16 depen mg from the supporting-plates 17 that are riveted or otherwlse secured to the underside of the doors D. These supporting-plates are riveted or otherwise secured to the undersides of the doors, and extend, preferably, longitudinall to the edges thereof adjacent to shaft These edgesare, preferably, flan ed downward a short distance, and recesse at e to permit of the passage of the 'elevis therethrough) The major axis of the elongated guideway opening 15 is parallel to the under surface or the door D, and is of such length that the locking bars 1 can move transversely a distance corresponding to, say, about two and one-half or three times their diameter. These lockin -bars 14 are of such length that their end s extend beyond the side edges of the doors an inch or more, and each end is adapted, when the door is about to be closed, to en age the lower flanged edge of a keeper-p ate 18 whichis curved u ward farthest from the shaft E, and\to sli e up said rear curved edge and into the forwardly elongated recess or seat 19 of said plate. Plates 18 are secured, by riveting or otherwise, to the webs of the needle-beams immediately under the upper flanges thereof, and the edges ofthe recess or seat 19 of each plate are provided with flanges which are a continuation of its lower and rear edges, and afford the end of the bar 14: a wider bearing surface. Both ends of the bar 14 simultaneously engage keeper-plates, and simultaneously enter the seats thereof, and when they do so relieve the clevises and the'chains from the weight of the door and its load.

It is better to have the chains 7 of such length that they will be loose when the doors are opened as far as they will 0.

When the doors are being cl osed and the chains wound upon the drums,'the cleviseswill be drawn outward. beyond the outer edges of the doors as far as they will go, but, when the doors are nearly closed the outer end of the clevis will come up under the drum and,contacttherewith and travel on the perimeter of said drum until above the horizontal plane of the axis of the same. This engagement pushes the clevises "to the rear limit of their movement, thus, moving the lockin bar 14 laterally toward the hinged edge the door, and so that the ends thereof will move u ward, as said door is being closed, back of t e rear edge of the A keeper-plates, jihtil opposite the mouths of seats theman. When the ends of said bar have reached this position, the bifurcated end of the clevises Wlll have passed to a point above the horizontal lane of the ax1s of shaft E, and, as the c ain continues to be wound upon the drum, will be drawn forward thereby, and thus cause the ends of the bar 14 to he shot into the seats made to rethe elevises are thus drawn forward, the forward ends, thereof restupon the drum, and, the bar 14 rests on the keeper-plates, which removes the weight of the door and its load the needle-beams (to which said kee )erplates are secured) and said shaft. hen the chains are unwound from the drums the ,horns 20 on the latter will engage the ends of the clevises and push them mwsrdly thus forcing the bar 14 out of engagement with the keeper-plates, as shown in Fig. 6.

In order to remove the weight of the doors and the load carried thereby entirely from the clevises and operating shaft, when the door is closed, I have provided the underside of the forward part of the su porting-plate downwardly curve hu l 21, and have raised the upper surface 0 the forward end portion of t e clevises to provide a curved shoulder 22. The rear movement of the clevises, caused by the engagement of their forward ends with shaft E, brings the shoulder 22 into engagement with hum 21 and operates asawedge to jam the door tightly up under the marginal edges of the doorframe 'ust at the moment when the ends of the loc ing bar 14 are in position to he shot into the runways or seats 19 of the keeperlates. As the clevises are drawn forward y the continued winding up of the chain and said locking-bar enters the keeper'plates, the shoulder will move from and out of engagement with the hump and there will be a c earance between the two, which will leave the clevises free of the weight of the door and its load, and throw the same entirely on the ends of the lockin -bars, and, through the latter on the needle eams. v

In Fig. 7 of the drawings I show a modification of my invention, which comprises a. supporting plate 25 secured to the underside of the door and provided with two downwardly projecting parallel longitudinal hangers 26, 26, between which a longitudinally disposed horizontal clevis or couplingbar 27 is placed, whose forward end is connected to the chains 28, and whose rear end has a comparatively short transverse bar 29 secured about midway its length therein. The ends of this bar extend through lonsaid hangers 26, andone end extends be end the adjacent side edge of the door'an engaagps the seat in the keeper-plate, suhstant1 y m the same manner he reinbefote exentirely from the chains and places it upon ceive the same in the keeper-plates. When 17, between its lon ltlldlILal anges, with a .gitudinally elongated guide-openings 30 in plained;-only instead of having the extenmoving said bar laterally into a suitable sions i), it has a short cross-bar 31 in its for ward end that is engaged by the projections of the drum.

In Fig. 8 I Show yet another modification of my invention, which comprises substantially the same supporting-plate and hangers depending therefromv as shown in Fig. 7, but the coupling-bar or clevis feature is practically dispensed with, and the chain is connected more directly to the sh art transverse bar 32, midway between said hangers. 'hen the door is closed the outer endof bar 3:2 enters the ini mrl L-shaped channel 33 defined by flanges 34 PIOJQCILug from the keeper plate 35, and as it enters the horizontal portion or seat thereof it engages the rear end of a longitudinally reciprocal rack-bar 3G, and moves it into engagement with a pinion 37, fast on shaft 38 near the bearings thereof. modification are wound upon shaft 40 in an under-shot direction, and as the said chains are wound thereon, and the end of the locking-bar has pushed the rack-bar into engagement with said pinion, the latter will more said rack-bar away from the advance .of the end of the lock-bar into its seat; but

when said chain is being unwound the initial movement of the pinion will move the rack-bar to the rear and push the end of the locking-bars out of its seat in the keeperi 7 plate, and permit said doors to drop.

\Vhat I claim as new is 1. A dump-car comprising an underframe, a drop-door hinged at one edge to the same, a transverse bar carried by said door and adapted to move toward the outer edge of the same in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the underside of said door and having its ends extended beyond the side edges of said door, and means for moving said bar laterally to bring its ends into suitable seats made to receive the same that are supported by the underframe.

2. A dump-car comprising an underframe, drop-doors hinged at one edge to the a same, transverse bars carried by said doors and adapted to move toward the outer edges of the same in planes substantially parallel tothe planes of the undersides of said doors and having their ends extended beyond the side edges of said doors, and means for moving said bars laterally to bring their ends into suitable seats made to receive the same that are supported by the underframe.

3. A dump car comprising an underframe, a drop-door hinged at one edge to the same, a shaft in front of and parallel with the swinging edge of said door, a chain for raising and lowering the swinging edge of said door, a transverse bar movably se-,

cured to the underside of and having its The chains 39, in this seat made to receive the same and supported a of parallel with and adjacent to said centersill hinged, and a transversely arranged locking-bar carried by said door and having one end thereof extend beyond the sideedge of the same, and movable laterally to and from the hinged edge thereof to bring said end out of and into suitable seat supported by said needle-"beams.

' 6. A dump car comprising a center-sill, needle-beams, doors having the edges thereof parallel with and adjacent to the centersill hinged; and a transverse locking bar carried by said door and having its ends extend beyond the side edges of the same and automatically movable toward the swinging edge of said door when the latter closer; to brin its ends into suitable seats supported by he sides of the framework of the door opening.

7. A dump car comprising a center-sill, needle-beams. doors having the ed es there of parallel with and adjacent to ta centersill hinged; and a transverse bar carried by said door and having its ends extend beyond the side edges of the same and automatically movable toward the swinging edge of said door, a shaft in front of and parallel with the swinging edge of the door and chains adapted to be wound upon said shaft and connecting said bar and shaft.

8. A dump car comprising a center-sill, needle-beams loors having the edges thereof parallel with and adjacent to the centersill hinged; and a transverse bar carried by said door and having its ends extend beyond the side ed es of the same and automatically movab e toward the swinging edge of said door, a shaft in front of and parallel with the swingin edge of the ,door and chains adapted to be wound upon said shaft, and clevises connecting the pendent. end of said chains to said bar.

9. A dump car mmpris' a center-sill, needle-beams, doors having t e edges thereof parallel with and adjacent to the centersill hinged; and a transverse bar carried by said door and having its ends extend beyond the side ed es of the same and automatically movab e toward the edge of said door, a shafh in front of an parallel witli the swinging edge of the door and needle-beams, doors having the edges there- '7 means for moving said bars transversely to sill hinged; and atransversc locking bar chains adapted to lie-wound upon said shaft, clevises connecting the pendent end of said chains to said bar, and projections on said shaft adapted to engage and move said clevises rearward. e

10. A dump car comprising a center-sill,

of parallel with and adjacent to the centersill hinged; and a transverse lockin -bar carried my each of said doors the en s of which are adapted to engage the needle beams and support said doors only when the latter are closed, supporting-plates secured to the underside of said doors havin hangers with elongated openings therein t rough which said transverse bars extend, and

their lengths in said openings.

11. A dump car comprising a center-sill,

needle-beams, doors havin the edges thereof parallel. with and adjacent to the centercarried by each of said doors the ends of which are adapted to engage the needlebeams and support said doors only when the latter are closed, supporting-plates secured ti) the underside of said doors havin hangers with elongated openings therein t rough which said transverse bars extend, and clevises disposed atright angles to said bars which said bars are secured and chains for moving said clevises and bars transversely to the lengths of the latter in said openings. 12. A dump car comprising a center-sill, needle-beams, doors having the edges there of parallel with and adjacent to the centersill hinged; and a transverse locking bar carried by each of said doors the ends of which are adapted to engage the needleheanis and support sain doors only when the latter are closed, supporting-plates secured to the underside of sa d doors having hangers with elongated openings therein through which said transverse bars extend, and clevises disposed at right angles to said bars in which said bars are secured and which move between longitudinal flanges depending i oni said supporting-plates and chains for moving said clevises and bars transversely to the lengths of the latter in said openings.

,13. Adump car comprising a center-sill, needle-beams, doors having the edges thereof parallel with and adjacent to the centersill hinged, and a transverse locking liar carried by each of said doors the ends of which are adapted to engage the needlebeams and support said doors only when the latter are closed, supporting plates secured to the underside of said door having clevises disposed at right. angles to said bar and in which said bars are secured, eachclevis having a shoulder near the end thereof adjacent to the outer edges of the doors, chains con-l nccted to the outer ends of said clevises and supporting plates secured to the underside er.

of the doors and having downwardly projectin humps adapted to be engaged by said shoul ers.

14. A dump car comprising a. center-sill,

needle-Seams, doors having the edges there; '7"

of parallel with and adjacent to the center'- sill hinged, and a transverse locking bar carried h each of said doors the ends of which are a apted to engage the needle-beams and support said doors only when thelatter are closed, supporting plates secured to the under side of said door having clevises disposed at right angles to said bar and in which said bars are secured, each clevis having a shoulder near the end thereof adjacent 80 to the outer edges of the doors, chains connected to the outer ends of said clevis s, a shaft the aais of which is parallel with and adjacent to the outer edges of the doo."s,

drums on said shaft upon which said chains 8.:-

are wound, having projections adapted to engage the outer ends of said clevises,

15. A dump car comprisin drop doors suitably hinged to the central structure of the floor of the car body, a transverse bar secured to the underside of each of said doors so as to have a limited movement transverse to its length, clevises disposed at right angles to said bars in which said bars are secured, the outer end of each of which is bi-.

furcated and which'has means inte ral with its underside for the attachment tliereto of the adjacent end of a hoistingchain, said hoisting chains extending between the bifurcations of said clevises, and drums the axes 106 of which are parallel with and adjacent to the outer edges of said doors and upon which said chains are wound.

16. A dump car comprisin drop doors suitably hin ed to the central structure of the floor of t 19 car body, a transverse bar secured to the underside of each of said doors so as to have a limited movement transverse to its length elevises dis osed at right angles to said i) cured, the outer end of each of which is bifurcated and which has means integral with its underside for the attachment thereto of the adjacent end of a hoisting chain. said hoisting chains extending between the liifurcations of said clevises, drums the axes of which are parallel with and adjacent to te outer edges of said doors and upon which said chains are wound and which have projections adapted to engage the bifurcations 12a of said clevises;

17. A dump car comprisin drop doors suitably hinged to the central structure of the floor of the car body, a transverse bar secured to the underside of each of said doors so as to have a limited movement transverse to its lcn th, clevises disposed at right angles to said ars irwhich said liars ars in whici said bars are se- 110 I the floor of the car have projections adapted to engage the bifurcations of said clevises, and supporting plates secured to the underside of said doois having hangers with elongated openings therein through which said bar extends.

18. A dump car comprising drop doors suitably hinged to the central structure of body, a transverse bar secured to the underside of each of said doors so as to'have a limited movement transverse to its length, clevises disposed at right angles to said bars in which said bars are secured, the outer end of. each of which is bifurcated and which has means integral with its underside for the attachment thereto of the adjacentend of a hoisting chain. said hoisting chains extending between the bifurcations of said clevises, drums the axes of which are parallel with and adiacent to the outer ed es of said doors. and upon which said c ains are wound and which have projec ions adapted to engage the bifurcations of said clevises, supporting plates secured to the underside of said doors having hangers with elon. ated openings there- .f in through which said )ar extends, and havmg longitudinal flanges depending therefrom between which said clevises have lon- X gitudinal movement.

19. A dump car comprisingflrop-doors suitably hinged to the central structure of the floor of the car body, a transverse bar secured to the underside of each of said transverse to its length, bifurcated cleviss I in which said bars are secured and which extend at right angles thereto, which have means integral with their under-sides for attaching the adjacent end of a hoisting chain, and each having a shoulder near its outer end, said hoisting chains extending between the bifurcations of said clevises, drums upon which said chains are wound and whose axes edges of said doors and which have projections adapted to engage the bifurcations of said clevises, supporting-plates secured to the underside of said doors having hangers with elongated openings therein through gitudinal flanges depending therefrom for the guidance of the longitudinal movement of said clevises and each of which has a hump adapted to be engaged by one of said shoulders.

i In testin'iony whereof I have hereunto set 3 my hand and seal this 11th day of Koren her, A. 1)., 1908.

RALPH G. TAYLOI-Z; it. s.]

iVitnesses:

HENRY Bums-sinuses,

Jenn H. Pnonnx.

1 doors so as to have a lnnlted movement. 1

are parallel. with and adjacent to the outer which said bar extends, and whichhave lon- 

